


No Keia La, No Keia Po, A Mau Loa

by jstabe



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Community: h50_exchange, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-20
Updated: 2012-09-20
Packaged: 2017-11-14 16:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/517402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jstabe/pseuds/jstabe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the (hopefully not too distant) future, Hawaii has legalized same sex marriage and Steve is finally able to ask Danny that all important question.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Keia La, No Keia Po, A Mau Loa

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Huntress69](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress69/gifts).



> Title means “From this day, from this night, forever more”.

Danny sits in the passenger seat of the Silverado, watching the greenery pass by. He catches glimpses of the ocean through the trees and the scenery is actually beautiful, but Danny isn’t placated. He should have known something was up when Steve wanted to take his truck. 

The Silverado winds its way uphill and Danny starts drumming his fingers on his thigh. This can’t lead anywhere good. Not when all he can see are mountains and trees and dirt that is _not_ a road, no matter what Steve says. 

After what seems like hours of not at all comfortable silence, they come to a clearing. Steve parks the truck and hops out, looking for all the world like stopping in the middle of nowhere makes perfect sense.

Danny sighs; in Steve’s world, it probably does.

Danny gets out and stands by the open truck door, watches Steve unload the Silverado, unable to keep the incredulous look off his face. Steve ignores him for the most part, making neat little piles of gear near the truck. Finally, Danny can’t keep silent any longer.

“What the hell is this?”

Steve opens his mouth to reply, but Danny holds up a hand.

“No, wait, wait. I may have mentioned my fine detective skills at one time or another and right now, my friend, those skills are telling me that we are camping. So again, what the hell?”

Steve is doing a very poor job of hiding a grin. “There’s no tent, Danno, _ergo_ this is not camping.”

“Ergo? Ergo?! You did not just use my word on me.”

Steve can’t hide the grin any longer as Danny runs a hand through his hair and then steps forward, hand outstretched, fake smile on his face.

“Hi,” Danny says. “My name’s Danny Williams. We’ve obviously never met before because if we had you would know that I do **not** camp.”

“No tent...” Steve starts to say.

“Right right right,” Danny interrupts. “No tent means no camping.” He sighs heavily. “If we are not camping, then what, exactly, are we doing?”

“Spending an evening together.”

Danny lets Steve pull him forward and turn him around, Danny’s back snug against Steve’s front, and smiles softly when Steve rests his chin on Danny’s shoulder. “One night,” Steve says. “You, me, no cell phones.”

Danny’s pulling in breath for a good rant when Steve nips his earlobe; he can’t stop the shiver, and knows Steve is smiling even though he can’t see it.

“I made Chin and Kono swear to no phone calls unless there is an emergency. And I’m not talking our usual emergency. Someone has to actually blow up Hawaii before we’re getting called in to work.”

Danny snorts. “Chances of that are slim since you’re up here and I’m assuming you didn’t bring any grenades.” He tilts his head back and frowns at Steve. “Gracie?”

“Will be fine. But I talked to her too. Same rules apply. She can call anytime if there’s an emergency.”

“You do realize that at her age an emergency can be anything from not having hair ribbons that match her dress to the computer not working correctly?”

Steve laughs. “I think it’ll be alright.”

Hands lifted in surrender, Danny turns to Steve. “Fine fine. So, where the hell are we and what are we doing? Since we’re not camping.”

Steve waves a hand to the right. “About a mile down that trail is Ahalanui Park. Hot springs, hiking trails, all kinds of stuff.”

Danny arches a brow and stares pointedly at Steve.

Steve grins. “Which we are not doing because tourists hang there and I want you to myself. This is technically part of the park, but it’s more remote so none of the guides bring people up here. There is a spring up here; it’s smaller, but definitely big enough for two.”

“No way,” Danny says, shaking his head emphatically. “I’ve seen that movie.”

“What movie?”

“The one where the two horny backpackers decide to make out in a hot spring and end up toasted. Pierce Brosnan finds them later, melted and floating. No thank you.”

Steve wrinkles his nose. “I don’t really think that can happen.”

“Sure it can. Active volcano, about to blow, heats up the water, bam! Melted.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Fine. No making out in the hot springs. How about I go get dinner?”

“Sure.” Danny throws his arms wide and turns in a circle. “I don’t see Kamekona’s shrimp truck anywhere around and the cooler you have sitting over there is too small for food. You gonna catch a bear or something? Cook over the fire we don’t have?”

Steve just grins. “Don’t worry about it. I got it covered.” He starts to leave, then turns back to Danny. “Bears, Danny, really? In Hawaii?”

Danny shrugs, but he’s pretty sure Steve can see the smile threatening to break free. “You never know, Steven. Weird things happen on this island all the time.”

Steve shakes his head, but he’s grinning as he grabs a pack from the pile and disappears into the trees.

* * *

When Steve gets back to camp almost an hour later, Danny is sprawled in one of the beach chairs that Steve brought along. He’s made himself at home, a beer from the cooler next to his chair and a book from Steve’s pack in his hand. He looks up when Steve enters the clearing then sets the book aside.

“What’d you bring me?”

“Fish.”

“Of course.”

“You like fish.”

Danny waves a hand. “I like it better than pineapple, but not as much as pizza.”

“Sorry. Stream I went to was fresh out of pizza.”

“Whoever told you that you were funny was lying. Just so you know.”

Steve grins and pokes the stick holding his catch into the ground while he gathers sticks to make a small fire. Danny watches with interest, but doesn’t bother to leave his chair. Once Steve gets the fire going, Danny tilts his head.

“What, no rubbing two sticks together?”

“Nope,” Steve says and holds up a matchbook. “Waterproof, though.”

Danny sighs heavily and leans back in his chair. “Rambo would have used sticks.”

Steve snorts. “Rambo would make you eat the fish raw because a fire would alert the enemy camp.”

“Got me there, babe,” Danny says with a laugh.

Steve digs a battered aluminum pan from his mess kit and arranges the fish, sets the pan over the fire. It doesn’t take long for the fish to fry and when it’s finished Steve pulls the pan from the fire, sets it carefully aside and lets it cool a little while he adds more wood chips so they’ll have a fire for the cooler evening. He’s just finishing when Danny joins him on the grass.

“Hungry?”

“Starving. At least you didn’t pack any vegetables.”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

Danny grins. “I raided all the packs while you out being the manly hunter. Not a veggie in site. Though I did notice the lack of anything resembling dessert too.”

Steve hooks a finger in the neckline of Danny’s shirt and pulls him forward, kisses him slow and sweet. When he pulls back, Danny’s breathing is heavier and Steve’s look is far too satisfied.

“That’s for dessert.”

“Let’s eat!”

* * *

A couple of fish, some making out, and a lot of nakedness later, Danny and Steve are lying plastered together in the way too small sleeping bag. It’s too hot, but Steve feels good against him so Danny decides he can deal for a little while.

Danny isn’t able to bask in the afterglow as long as he would like before his skin starts itching. He sighs, curses whatever random gene gave him so much chest and stomach hair, and reaches out to nudge Steve with his foot. Steve makes an inquisitive noise, but doesn’t open his eyes.

“Please tell me you brought something to clean up with,” Danny says, poking at Steve again.

“I put some wet wipes in my pockets in case we didn’t feel like going to the springs.”

“Boy scout,” Danny mumbles affectionately.

He rolls away from Steve and fumbles for Steve’s discarded cargos, feels around each pocket for something that might be a wipe. He finds a box and pulls it out, glancing over at Steve.

“Did you put them in a box?”

“No, they’re....”

Steve’s eyes open and the look of alarm in them has Danny reacting before he thinks about it. He scrambles out of the sleeping bag, stumbling back to put more space between them when Steve follows him out.

“What’s in the box, babe?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re a terrible liar. Wanna try again?”

“It’s just a box, Danny.”

Steve’s tone is even, but his eyes give him away.

“Then you won’t mind if I open it.”

Steve opens his mouth then closes it without saying anything. He nods curtly, his shoulders a tense line. Danny should feel bad, and he does, but not enough to not open the box. His curiosity is _killing_ him now. He opens the box, stares in surprise as moonlight glints off two identical platinum bands.

“Is... are these what I think they are?”

“If you think they’re wedding bands, then yeah. They are what you think they are.”

The box is smooth in his hands and he can’t stop staring at it. He steps closer to the fire, examining the box in the light. The edges have a worn look and he glances at Steve.

“How long have you been carrying this box around?”

“Awhile. Had to wait until it was legal.”

Danny smiles. “Babe, civil unions have been legal for years now.”

Steve shrugs, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah, well, will you civil union me doesn’t sound the same.”

Danny moves closer, hands the box back to Steve as he smiles up at him. “This wasn't just about us being alone together, was it? You had an ulterior motive.”

Steve grins. “I had plans, Danny. I was going to ask you after dinner, but you distracted me with sex.”

Danny arches a brow, but decides to let it go. “We're not having sex now,” he points out helpfully.

Steve's arched brow leaves Danny's in the dust, competitive bastard. “You really want me to get down on one knee right now?”

It hits Danny that they've been having this whole conversation bare ass naked in the middle of a public park and if Steve's on his knees... He blushes and hopes the light is dim enough that Steve can't tell.

“When you say it like that...”

Steve laughs and leans down to brush the sweetest, softest kiss against Danny's mouth. “I love you, Danno. Marry me?”

Danny melts, reaches up to slide his arms around Steve's neck and kiss him back. He's pretty sure his smile is bordering on sappy and can't really bring himself to care.

“Yes. Absolutely yes.”

Steve's smile is just as goofy so Danny counts things as a win all around. Steve manages to get a ring out of the box in spite of Danny's refusal to stop kissing him. Laughing Steve pulls back to grab Danny's left hand, then pauses.

“I'm not exactly sure how to do this part.”

“Me either,” Danny admits. “Maybe right hand until we get married then switch to the left?”

Danny holds out his right hand, grinning the whole time Steve slides the wide platinum band onto it. When Steve hands over the box and then puts his own right hand out expectantly, Danny takes it with shaking hands. He hadn't figured on Steve wanting to wear a wedding band, let alone an engagement ring. Steve wasn't much for jewelry, except his watch (and Danny was sure that was only because it could be probably be turned into a weapon). He takes the ring out, slides it into place on Steve's finger. Steve immediately laces their fingers and tugs Danny close. The kiss this time is far less sweet and Danny can feel the beginnings of Steve's erection press against his belly. He jerks back and looks at Steve, wide-eyed as he remembered how this whole thing started in the first place.

“I can't believe you just proposed to me while we're naked and covered in... stuff.”

Steve looks at Danny for a second then bursts out laughing. Danny scowls at him.

“Oh sure, laugh all you want. How the hell am I supposed to tell my mom this story, huh? Or Gracie? This is _not_ an appropriate engagement story, Steven.”

Steve slides his arms around Danny's waist, lips warm on his skin as he nuzzles Danny's neck. “We'll tell them that we got engaged _not_ camping at the springs you refused to set foot in.”

Danny sighs and tilts his head to give Steve better access to his neck. “I guess that could work. Worst proposal ever, I swear.”

Steve nips at Danny's throat before lifting his head. “I don't know. It worked, didn't it?”

Danny laughs and tugs Steve down for a kiss. “I guess it did, you Neanderthal.” He pulls back and wiggles his eyebrows. “How about some engagement sex now?”

Steve's still laughing when they hit the sleeping bag.

* * *

Danny is the first to admit that he doesn’t have a lot of experience when it comes to planning a wedding. This one, though, seems to be going much smoother than his wedding to Rachel. Gracie had been ecstatic at the news and had clamored to be allowed to plan the wedding with Steve. Danny had given in, wanting her to have a chance to do something with Steve and also mindful of the fact that she hadn’t been included in much when it came to Rachel and Stan’s wedding. Still, for having an-almost teenager and a SEAL in charge, there had been little drama. There was no freaking about the color of the bridesmaids dresses, or how many bridesmaids to have, or who should be a bridesmaid. There was no freaking out about the venue or how many people to invite or Mars not lining up with Venus correctly on the big day (okay, that last might be an exaggeration, but Danny doesn’t think it’s much of one). So when he finds Gracie in Steve’s backyard, sketchbook and pencil in hand, with a look of intense concentration on her face, he’s already preparing himself for the first crisis.

“What’s up, Monkey?”

Grace looks up from her sketchpad with a grin. “Danno! You’re home early.”

“Quiet day. Must be a bad guy holiday or something.” He nods toward the sketchpad. “What are you up to?”

“Trying to figure out where to put all the chairs for the guests.”

“We’re having the wedding here?” It’s the first Danny’s heard of that. “I’m not getting on married on a beach, Monkey. I hate the beach.”

Grace rolls her eyes. “You don’t really. Besides, Uncle Steve loves the beach and you love him.”

She’s got him there, but Danny still isn’t sure he wants to get married on the beach.

“Anyway, it’s not on the beach,” Grace continues. “We’re gonna use Steve’s backyard. It’s perfect! Since it’s gonna be a small wedding, it’ll look better here than some big church.” She looks at him, brown eyes big and solemn. “Besides, Uncle Steve’s house needs some happy stuff to happen to it.”

Danny rests a hand on her shoulder and kneels down to eye level. “That’s perfect, Gracie.”

She beams at him. “Uncle Steve said the same thing.”

“He is pretty smart. He’s marrying me, after all.”

Grace giggles and goes back to her sketchpad while Danny surveys the backyard. Not a bad place to get married, he decides. Not bad at all.

* * *

Weeks go by and Danny’s still waiting for the other shoe to drop. They’ve had nothing but heartfelt congratulations from Chin and Kono and Danny’s family had been thrilled to find out that he was finally getting married again. Something has to go wrong. Danny can just feel it. So when he picks up the phone at work one day and it’s Stan on the line, he figures this must be it.

“Hey, Stan. Something wrong?”

“I’m sorry to bother you at work, but there’s something I need to talk to you about. Can you meet me for an early lunch?”

Danny looks at the clock and the stacks of paperwork on his desk and shrugs. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Danny arrives first, finds a little table in the shade. The park not far from HQ gets a lot of lunch time visitors and today is no exception. He’s drumming his fingers on the table when Stan shows up.

“Hi, Danny, thanks for meeting me.”

They shake hands then settle on opposite sides of the table, a not-quite-comfortable silence between them. There’s a lot of history here, hardly any of it good, and Danny has no idea what Stan could want. Stan smiles, either oblivious to the tension or choosing to ignore it.

“Grace and I had a talk last night.” That surprises Danny and he can’t keep the shock off his face. If Gracie had a problem, why hadn’t she come to him? “She’s going to talk to you but I wanted to speak to you first. I’d rather you not tell her about this when you do talk to her.”

“What’s going on?”

“She wants to start calling Steve Dad.” Stan shrugs. “It wasn’t a surprise to me and I’m sure it isn’t to you. Grace and I... I love her, Danny, I do, but we don’t have a close relationship. She blames me for taking your place and even though she’s older now, we just never had a chance to really bond. I understand that. You... you’re the most important person in her life. She’s crazy about you. And she’s crazy about Steve too.”

“I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m sorry, that you and Gracie...”

Stan shrugs. “It’s okay. We’re closer now that she’s older and I’m happy with that.” Stan smiles softly. “She wanted to let me know and she also wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going to hurt my feelings by calling Steve Dad. She’s one hell of a kid, Danny.”

Danny beams with pride. “She really is.”

“I know she’s going to talk to you and I just wanted you to know that I really am okay with this. And Rachel and I want you to know that we’re happy for you and Steve. Rachel says it’s been a long time in coming.”

Danny grins even as a blush tints his cheeks. “She always was too observant for her own good.”

Stan laughs and stands. Danny does as well and the two men shake hands. “You got time to actually eat? Let me buy you lunch to celebrate your engagement.”

Danny hadn’t planned on eating, but he nods. “Sure, why not? I know a great place for shrimp.”

* * *

He and Grace do talk and he assures her that Steve would love it if she called him Dad. Then he has to promise upon penalty of death not to say anything to Steve. It isn’t easy, because Danny knows how Steve feels about Grace, but this isn’t about him. It’s about Grace and Steve so he bites his lip and keeps the information to himself, though he feels like he’s constantly listening for the word. When it finally happens, it’s so unplanned and natural that it’s perfect.

It’s Grace’s weekend with them and she spends most of it holed up with Steve, putting the finishing touches on the wedding. When they take her back to Stan and Rachel, she spends most of the trip chattering excitedly with Steve about the flowers and Danny fights a grin. Steve’s good-natured, though, and debates with her the pros and cons of each kind of flower she’s considering.

At Stan’s, Danny gets out of the Camaro to let Grace out of the back seat; Steve meets them at the front of the car, waiting patiently while Gracie bear hugs Danny. “Gotta go, Danno! Mom’s taking me dress shopping and then we’re going to have dinner.”

“Sounds great, Monkey. Send us pictures?”

She rolls her eyes. “So you can complain that it’s too short?”

Danny grins because, yes, that’s pretty much the only opinion he’d express when it comes to dresses. She knows him too well. Gracie lets him go and launches herself at Steve, giggling when he pretends to squeeze her too hard. She kisses Steve’s cheek and flashes one last smile at Danny.

“Bye Danno! Bye Dad! See you Wednesday for dinner.”

She disappears through the gate, but for once Danny isn’t watching her go. He’s focused on Steve and the pole-axed expression on his fiance’s face. When Steve doesn’t say anything for long minutes, Danny lays a hand on Steve’s back.

“You okay, babe?”

“Did she... did you hear...”

“Gracie call you dad? Yeah, I heard.” He rubs slow circles on the small of Steve’s back. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Steve looks at him, shocked. “No! I just... wasn’t expecting it. She... I...”

Normally Danny would probably get a kick out of the fact that the normally cool, calm, and collected SEAL is panicking, but not over this. “She’s crazy about you.”

Steve smiles then, one of those still too rare ones that light up his entire face. “I’m crazy about her too.”

“Good.” Danny leans up to give Steve a quick kiss. “Can we go to dinner now? I’m starving.”

Steve laughs and smacks Danny on the ass. “You really know how to be a mood killer.”

“Nah, just figured you’d be embarrassed if you got all weepy and sentimental in Stan’s driveway.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Can I still keep Gracie if I get rid of you?”

“Nope, package deal. You take one Williams or you get none.”

Steve slips his arms around Danny’s waist and sighs. “Well, if it’s the only way to keep Grace, I guess I can put up with you.”

Danny grins. “You’re the one that proposed. Just keep remembering that.”

“Must of been out of my mind,” Steve grumbles.

Danny just laughs and pushes him toward the driver’s side of the Camaro.

* * *

The day of the wedding dawns bright and beautiful, not that Danny expected anything else. He supposes there are advantages to living in ‘paradise’. He stands in the kitchen and sips his coffee, admiring the transformed backyard. A part of him had been unsure that Grace and Steve could pull it off, but he should have known better than to bet against them. The backyard is gorgeous. A flowered gazebo sits toward the edge of the yard, just before it turns into the beach. The ocean is artfully framed in the back and Danny has to admit that it’ll make for some beautiful pictures. There are two sections of chairs, with a narrow runner between them that will serve as the aisle. Kamekona had offered to provide catering; he and some of his various cousins had shown up yesterday to set up tables on one side of the yard. Gracie had decorated them with flowers and now the entire backyard is a rainbow of color. 

Strong arms wrap around him and pull him back against a well-muscled chest. Smiling, Danny hands back the half-full cup of coffee. Steve drinks gratefully before handing it back and nuzzling Danny’s neck.

“Morning, almost-husband.”

Danny laughs. “Morning yourself, almost-husband.” He gestures toward the backyard. “You and Gracie did a great job.”

“It was mostly Grace.” Steve kisses Danny’s neck and Danny melts back against Steve with a sigh. “I was thinking...since we can’t take a honeymoon right now, maybe we should just take a family trip. Me, you, and Gracie.”

Danny turns to look at Steve, pleased. “I love that idea. Where would we go?”

“I was thinking New Jersey.”

Danny’s smile grows and he can feel tears prick his eyes. He hates the fact that his parents and siblings had to miss the wedding, even though he understood. “My parents would love that. Me and Gracie will too.”

They’re wrapped up in each and kissing softly when Gracie comes barreling into the kitchen. “You guys! We don’t have time for that! We’re getting married!”

Bemused, Danny breaks the kiss, but doesn’t step away from Steve. “Calm down, Monkey, we’ve got plenty of time.”

Grace scowls at him, a remarkably accurate rendition of one of Steve’s favorite looks. “No, we don’t. We have to be dressed and ready _before_ people get here so we can greet them. Plus, we’re doing pictures before the ceremony, remember?”

Steve lets himself be tugged away from Danny and steered toward the downstairs bathroom. “You raised a stubborn kid, Danno.”

Laughing, Danny heads upstairs while Grace stands between them, eyeing them both to make sure they keep doing what she wants them to.

* * *

Danny’s messing with his cufflinks when Grace bounds in, dressed in a bathrobe and slippers, hair a wild mess down her back. “I thought you were in a hurry to get ready.”

“Kono will be here in a minute. She’s going to help me with my dress and hair.”

She watches Danny fumble with the cufflinks then comes over to help. He frowns down at her as she fastens them. “Tell me again why I have to get dressed up to get married in my own backyard?”

“I know you don’t like to admit this, Danno, but someday I will be grown up and I’ll be married and have kids. Do you really want your grandkids looking at wedding pictures of you and Dad in khakis and cargo pants?”

“I’m not sure how I ended up with a smart alec for a kid.”

“Guess you’re just lucky,” Grace says, smiling sweetly.

Kono’s voice comes to them from downstairs and Grace makes a beeline for the door. “Gotta get ready!”

She disappears then pops her head back in the door. “Hey, Danno? You’re gonna be glad that I insisted on traditional tuxes when you see Dad.”

She disappears again and this time Danny can hear her feet on the stairs. Shaking his head, he finishes getting ready, impatient now to see Steve in his formal wear.

“Evil evil child.”

* * *

Danny is doing his Grace-appointed job of greeting guests and herding them to the backyard, but he’s only halfway paying attention. He can’t stop staring at Steve in the traditional black tuxedo and he’s thanking God that he’d given in and gotten a professional photographer. Steve looks too amazing for Danny not have some sort of keepsake of the occasion.

Their little gathering is settled comfortably when Steve comes to stand beside Danny. “You’re not the only one.”

“Hmm?” Danny is distracted, watching as their official (one of Chin and Kono’s many cousins) take his place.

“Who can’t stop staring. You’re gorgeous, Danno.”

Danny flushes and looks up at Steve with a soft smile. “You don’t have to flatter me. I’m a sure thing tonight, babe.”

Steve is still laughing when Grace joins them, looking far older than thirteen in her traditional white dress, some complicated swirl of flowers woven into the curls of her hair. She has a lei around her neck and she’s carrying garlands of maile leaves for him and Steve. Danny sighs; he’d been outvoted on the lei issue. Steve pokes him.

“It’s tradition, Danny. It means love and respect.”

“I know, babe. At least the green is manly.”

Grace snorts. “I should have made you a pink lei.”

Danny rolls his eyes, but allows his daughter to put the garland around his neck, waits patiently as Steve bends down so she can put his on for him. She grins and claps her hands. “Ready?”

Danny and Steve exchange smiles. “”More than ready,” Danny assures her.

* * *

They walk the aisle with Grace between them, beaming at their small gathering of family and friends. When they reach the gazebo, they pause long enough to take off their wedding bands and give them to Grace, who places them in a white satin bag on a string around her wrist. She moves to the side and Danny and Steve turn to face the minister.

Most of the ceremony is in Hawaiian, and though Danny doesn’t understand it, it’s beautiful. He gets the important bits, like when Steve smiles at him and promises _ho’oheno_ , to cherish, in that gruff voice that Danny loves. He promises the same back, throwing a grin at Kono for helping him work on his pronunciation before the ceremony.

The blessing of the rings is beautiful and Danny knows there are plenty of tears in the audience as their minister uses Koa wood and Ti leaf to bless their wedding bands. He’s more than a little teary himself when Steve takes his hand and promises to love and honor him forever as he slides the band into place on Danny’s left hand and kisses the warmed metal. Steve’s eyes are dry, but his hand shakes in Danny’s when Danny makes the promise back, grinning broadly when the sunlight glints off the platinum on Steve’s hand.

Steve cups Danny’s face in his hands and leans down, pausing before he reaches Danny’s mouth. Danny’s smile is bright and proud as he rests his hand on Steve’s chest. “What are you waiting for, babe? This is the best part.”

Steve kisses him to the sound of laughter and cheers. Danny doesn’t actually hear the official pronounce them married, but he doesn’t care. He can feel it in the way Steve’s heart thuds under his palm as they kiss.

* * *

Much much later, after they’ve eaten more food than Danny’s seen in one place since his last wedding and drunk more champagne than is probably safe, Danny stands under the moonlight with Steve, held tightly in his husband’s arms as a soft ballad plays. He’s too tipsy to know or care who is singing, only cares that Steve’s holding him close and for once, they don’t have to care who might be watching. Danny snuggles closer and Steve kisses his temple, tightens his arms around Danny. Danny squeaks.

“Can’t breathe, babe.”

Steve chuckles, loosens his hold so minutely that it’s barely noticeable. Danny shakes his head and lays his head back against Steve’s chest. Steve rubs his chin across the top of Danny’s head (which he usually hates because he’s not _that_ short, thank you very much).

“Never would have thought we’d be standing here like this.”

Danny looks up at Steve with wide-eyed innocence. “What? You didn’t know getting me shot would make me fall in love with you?”

Steve huffs out a laugh. “It was a graze, Danny, let it go.”

Danny grumbles under his breath, because Steve would expect no less. Eventually, he glances back up. “So when did you?”

“When did I what?”

“Know that you love me.”

Steve pretends to have to think about it and Danny whaps him in the stomach. Steve smiles down at him and kisses the frown on Danny’s lips.

“When you came back for me.”

“Huh?”

Steve glances away, obviously uncomfortable and Danny’s intrigued. They’ve never actually talked about this. 

“You had everything you wanted. Another chance with Rachel, the promise of living with Grace again full time, possibly a baby. You were back in your beloved Jersey. But you came back, to this ‘pineapple infested hellhole’ because I needed you.”

Danny swallows back the lump in his throat and rubs gently along Steve’s stubbled jaw. “Yeah, well, what else could I do? You never leave your partner behind.” He shrugs, smiling softly. “And I suppose this place isn’t so bad.”

“Yeah? What makes you say that?”

“It’s got you, doesn’t it?”

Steve laughs and wraps him in a hug. Somewhere in the darkness, Danny can hear Grace’s laughter against the backdrop of the ocean behind them.

Hawaii might not be Jersey, but Danny guesses it has its good points.


End file.
